CrossFit Took Rianna to the Top of Kilimanjaro

I signed up for my Kilimanjaro hike in September after thinking about it for years. I joined an all-women adventure group and committed to the 8-day Machame route—a steady climb that ends at 19,341 feet, the highest altitude I’ve ever hiked.

The funny part is that once I committed, the first thing everyone asked me was: “What are you doing to train?”

My honest training plan (and what actually happened)

I had every intention of hiking 14ers all fall to prepare. That was the plan I pictured when I signed up.

But the truth is: it didn’t happen. I didn’t do a single 14er. My only real training was CrossFit.

And as unconventional as that might sound to some people, it ended up being the reason I felt physically ready on the mountain.

Why CrossFit worked (even without hike-specific training)

Kilimanjaro isn’t technical climbing, but it is relentless. It’s long days, repetitive movement, and the need to keep going even when you’re tired. CrossFit prepared me in a few big ways.

It built “all-day” fitness. CrossFit gave me the conditioning to hike 8+ hours a day for 8 days straight. I wasn’t destroyed at the end of every day the way I expected to be. I could recover, wake up, and do it again.

The leg work translated directly to hiking. I’m convinced all the box step-ups and squats played a huge role in my success. Hiking is basically thousands of step-ups in a row—especially as the trail steepens and the altitude makes every step feel heavier.

The cardio pieces mattered more than I wanted to admit. I hate burpees and the (stupid) bike – but they built the engine I needed. When the air gets thin, you don’t just need strong legs. You need a heart and lungs that can stay calm when everything feels harder.

The mountain tested my mindset more than my body

What surprised me most was that the hike wasn’t physically draining in the way I imagined. The hardest part was staying mentally tough when the conditions got miserable.

We were rained on just about every day. More than once we had to go off-trail because running water made certain crossings unsafe. And waking up at 6 a.m. to put on damp clothes in cold weather? Not glamorous. Just one of those things you do because the only way out is through.

Summit night: where the training showed up

After six days of hiking, we reached our final camp at around 15,000 feet. We woke up at midnight and started the last push- a 7-hour trek to the summit.

It wasn’t easy, but I surprised myself. I didn’t struggle as much as I expected to. I kept moving. I kept breathing. I stayed steady.

Around hour five, the sun started to rise, and the view was absolutely breathtaking—one of those moments that gives you a second wind without you even realizing it. We rode that energy all the way to the top.

What I learned

CrossFit didn’t just help me get in shape—it gave me confidence that my body could handle hard things. Even without the hike-specific training I thought I should do, I showed up with a foundation that carried me through.

Kilimanjaro tested plenty of things—altitude, weather, patience—but physically, I felt ready. And I’ll give a lot of credit to the workouts I complained about the most.

Rianna Richardson